Jim Goulart

As you plan your lunch break, remember that Chris has Rattlers' audio for us at 11:45 AM. No pressure for Eric Arnett, just a few more folks who will be listening to his return today.

Final: Arizona Royals 8, Arizona Brewers 5 Arizona Box Score The A-Crew trailed 8-0 after six innings, making their own five-run 8th inning OK but insignificant victory-wise; RHP Dan Britt made his 5th start (6th appearance), but was tagged for five runs in 2.2 innings; LHP Marques Kyles had his second consecutive rough outing marred by walks -- Stan's son turns 25 in September so mis-steps can be few for a longshot run at progression through the system; former Marlin farmhand RHP Skyler Crawford continues his good work and undrafted lefty Travis Stortz tossed a scoreless inning; catcher Jhonatan Javier is still hitting, but had three passed balls; Max Walla doubled and singled, but when he wasn't reaching, he was fanning -- three K's give him 31 in 76 AB's, usually Arizona League pitchers aren't overly "tricky", so that number is still unacceptable; SS Nick Shaw reached twice and has his OPS at .947; technically Joey Paciorek is on injury rehab (hand) from Wisconsin, but it would appear he's stuck in Maryvale because of Cutter Dykstra's emergence at third base with the Rattlers... Arizona Game Log When Paciorek ended the 8th inning, an inning the boys began down 8-0, he actually represented the go-ahead run -- AZL Brewers Top 8th Derrick Shaw flies out to center fielder Cameron Conner. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Joseph Paciorek replaces Eric Farris. Joseph Paciorek singles on a line drive to center fielder Cameron Conner. Nick Shaw singles on a ground ball to right fielder Juan Polonia. Joseph Paciorek to 2nd. Kenneth Allison reaches on catcher interference by Jin-Ho Shin. Joseph Paciorek to 3rd. Nick Shaw to 2nd. Kenneth Allison to 1st. Justin Parker grounds into a force out, fielded by third baseman Victor Soto. Joseph Paciorek scores. Nick Shaw out at 3rd. Kenneth Allison to 2nd. Justin Parker to 1st. Maxwell Walla doubles (3) on a fly ball to center fielder Cameron Conner. Kenneth Allison scores. Justin Parker scores. Demetrius McKelvie singles on a ground ball to right fielder Juan Polonia. Maxwell Walla scores. Pitcher Change: Tyler Gatrell replaces Jose Sanchez. Jhonatan Javier singles on a ground ball to shortstop Michael Antonio. Jhonatan Javier to 2nd. Demetrius McKelvie advances to 3rd, on throwing error by shortstop Michael Antonio. Thomas Mittelstaedt walks. Derrick Shaw walks. Demetrius McKelvie scores. Jhonatan Javier to 3rd. Thomas Mittelstaedt to 2nd. Joseph Paciorek grounds out, second baseman Daniel Mateo to first baseman Henry Moreno.

No Huntsville Times coverage, no update from Stars' staff this morning -- we'll go with the Diamond Jaxx account... Final: West Tenn (Mariners) 7, Huntsville 3 Jaxx Score Six in Ninth to beat Stars By Chris Harris / West Tenn Diamond Jaxx HUNTSVILLE, ALA. (JULY 18, 2010) - The Diamond Jaxx (8-16) scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning and came from behind to beat the Huntsville Stars (13-11) on Sunday, 7-3. The Jaxx trailed 3-1 heading into the ninth and the Jaxx received two bases loaded walks, a sacrifice fly and a three-run home run from Matt Lawson. West Tenn snapped a three-game losing streak and are now 2-3 on the current road trip, 1-1 against the Stars. Mauricio Robles started the game for the Jaxx, but left with an injury in the third inning. Robert Rohrbaugh allowed just two runs over four innings of relief and Aaron Jensen worked one scoreless. Josh Lueke (1-0) won his first Diamond Jaxx game by holding the Stars scoreless in the final two innings. Lueke struck out three. Jim Henderson (3-2) blew the save and gave up five runs in the ninth inning to take the loss for Huntsville. Henderson walked four Jaxx batters. Matt Lawson recorded his third straight two-hit game finishing 2-for-5 with the homer and three RBI's. Alex Liddi was 2-for-3 with a double and a solo homerun. The two homers give the Jaxx now 76 on the season. Caleb Gindl and Taylor Green each had a pair of hits for the Stars. Green hit his second home run of the series in the bottom of the second inning to get the Stars on the board first. Green's seventh homer of the year put the Stars up 1-0. The Stars pushed across two more runs in the bottom of the third inning against Jaxx reliever Robert Rohrbaugh. Zelous Wheeler had an RBI single and Green brought in a run with a sacrifice fly. Huntsville increased their lead to 3-0 after the second inning. Play was halted in the bottom of the third inning for a one hour rain delay. The field was not covered in time before a five minute rain storm. When play resumed, Huntsville starter Amaury Rivas did not go back out after three scoreless innings. Alex Liddi got the Jaxx on the scoreboard with his seventh homer of the season in the top of the seventh, and first since June 13th. The Jaxx trailed 3-1. In the top of the ninth inning, the Jaxx received bases loaded walks to Joe Dunigan and pinch hitter Johan Limonta that tied the game at 3-3. Brandon Haveman hit a sacrifice fly to give the Jaxx the advantage of 4-3. Then, Lawson's three-run homer gave the Diamond Jaxx a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. The Diamond Jaxx take on the Stars from Joe Davis Stadium again on Monday night at 7:00 PM. RHP Steven Hensley (6-7, 3.39) will pitch for the Jaxx and RHP Josh Butler (3-4, 2.92) pitches for the Stars. Huntsville Box Score We thought perhaps that RHP Andre Lamontagne would see action exclusively in late relief for the Stars, but he became an interesting choice to enter in the 4th after the rain delay ended Amaury Rivas' day; RHP Jim Henderson does have six saves for the Stars, but is now up to 23 walks in 38 innings -- he didn't sleep well last night; catcher / semi-coach Patrick Arlis was transferred from Nashville to Huntsville on July 7th, and he sees his first Huntsville action during this stint by mopping up late in the disastrous 9th... Huntsville Game Log Ouch -- West Tenn Top 9th Pitcher Change: Jim Henderson replaces Eddie Morlan. Alex Liddi walks. Carlos Peguero called out on strikes. Guillermo Quiroz walks. Alex Liddi to 2nd. Coaching visit to mound. Scott Savastano singles on a line drive to left fielder Lee Haydel. Alex Liddi to 3rd. Guillermo Quiroz to 2nd. Joseph Dunigan walks. Alex Liddi scores. Guillermo Quiroz to 3rd. Scott Savastano to 2nd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Johan Limonta replaces Leury Bonilla. Johan Limonta walks. Guillermo Quiroz scores. Scott Savastano to 3rd. Joseph Dunigan to 2nd. Brandon Haveman out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Lee Haydel. Scott Savastano scores. Pitcher Change: Patrick Arlis replaces Jim Henderson. Matthew Lawson homers (1) on a fly ball to center field. Joseph Dunigan scores. Johan Limonta scores. Nate Tenbrink grounds out, shortstop Anderson Machado to first baseman Chris Nowak.

Final: Great Lakes (Dodgers) 10, Wisconsin 2 Wisconsin runs into a wall By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - Josh Wall stayed hot for the hottest team in baseball. The Great Lakes Loons pitcher allowed two runs over six innings and won his seventh straight start in a 10-2 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. The 2005 draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers walked six and scattered six hits to win his seventh straight start. Wisconsin (36-55 overall, 10-13 second half) grabbed the early lead with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Michael Marseco scored from third on a two-out wild pitch. Great Lakes (62-30, 19-4) tied the game in the top of the fourth inning. J.T. Wise knocked in the tying run with a double to right-center. The Loons scored three runs on one hit in the top of the fifth inning to take the lead. Rattlers starting pitcher Kyle Heckathorn walked the leadoff batter, and hit the next hitter. Then, the Rattlers right-hander committed a balk to move runners to second and third with no outs. Heckathorn got the first out with a strikeout. The next batter sent a grounder to short with the infield pulled in on the grass. Marseco's throw to the plate beat the runner, but was a little off target and the run scored and the Loons led 2-1. Later in the top of the fifth, Jaime Ortiz singled in a pair of runs and Great Lakes went up 4-1. Chris Dennis got Wisconsin to within two runs with a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. Wall got out of the inning with a caught stealing and - after an RBI triple by Nick Buss in the top of the sixth put the Loons back up by three runs for a 5-2 advantage- worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth to finish his day. Ortiz and Wise came up with back-to-back doubles with two outs in the top of the seventh inning and the Loons pushed their lead to 6-2. Great Lakes made it 8-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. Angelo Songco knocked in the first run of the frame with his third hit of the day. A run scored from third later in the inning as the Rattlers turned a 4-6-3 double play. But, the Loons kept coming as they scored two more runs in the top of the ninth. Christian Lara doubled to the right-centerfield gap to drive in two and cap the scoring for the day. A pair of Great Lakes relievers combined to allow three hits but no runs over the final three innings to finish off Wisconsin. The Timber Rattlers conclude their homestand on Monday afternoon with the series finale against the Loons. Eric Arnett (0-7, 6.87) gets the start for Wisconsin. Brett Wallach (5-0, 4.33) is set to start for the Loons. Game time at Time Warner Cable Field is 12:05 PM. If you can't make it to the ballpark, you may tune into the radio broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 11:45 AM. *** Timber Rattlers fall to veteran Great Lakes Loons Great Lakes has best mark in pros By Cory Jennerjohn, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — The Loons have this winning thing figured out. After beating the Timber Rattlers 10-2 on Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium, Great Lakes upped its winning percentage to .673. It owns the best record in all of full-season affiliated professional baseball. Think about that for a second. Even the high-priced New York Yankees — who own the best record in the majors — have just a .637 winning percentage. "I knew we were going to be good, but not this good," Loons manager Juan Bustabad said. "But it's a team that's very united and they do the little things to win games." Great Lakes finished the first half 43-26 before starting out the second half red hot at 19-4, including winning 16 of its last 18. "This is by far the funnest team I've ever been a part of," said Great Lakes pitcher Josh Wall, who earned the win over six innings. "It's one of those where we're having fun every single day." But there's also another side to the Loons' success. Sunday's 25-man active roster showed an average age of 22.36, including six players who are at least 24. Compare that with the Timber Rattlers' average age of 21.48, which includes no 24-year-olds. "If we had this same club — obviously it's not going to happen — if we had this same club now, a year or two years from now would we have a .670 winning percentage?" said Timber Rattlers manager Jeff Isom. "I can't answer that. I know we'd be better than what we are right now. We as an organization like to stay a little bit younger, move our prospects a little bit quicker." Apparently Bustabad has fielded age questions already because he quickly pointed out his pitching staff that has six hurlers — including Wall — who are at least 23. "If you look at our starting pitchers, we have a lot of guys who are 20, 21," Bustabad said. "Like you see the kid that threw yesterday (Allen) Webster is only 20. We have a lot of 20, 21. We're not that old." Infielder Christian Lara is the oldest Loon at 25. To understand how experienced the Dodgers low Class A affiliate is, the Brewers Class AAA Nashville Sounds have four players younger than him. "That plays a lot in this league," Isom said. "When you're facing 20-year-olds right out of high school compared to guys with fours years college or three years college experience and a couple years in the minor leagues it's quite a difference." Age is big difference now, but of course the longer these kids play and if they make it to the big club, age instantly doesn't matter anymore. "You're going to face players like this as you move up through levels," Isom said. "Eventually if you're at the big leagues, you're going to be facing guys 35 years old that have had a lot of success." And speaking of success, it's not the team batting average, that was .272 coming into Sunday, that's doing it for these guys. "There's not much bickering going on between the players," Wall said. "Just come here and have fun everyday. We're going to strap it on and play hard everyday." Wisconsin Box Score Speaking of older players, Rattler reliever Andy Sauter actually did just sneak to the 24-year-old mark, and the undrafted free agent has really struggled and did so again here; Scooter Gennett stole two bases and is now 11-for-14 on the basepaths -- the Rattlers had three unsuccessful basestealing events as well; Gennett was 3-for-5 including a double -- goodness, it seems like he's hitting even higher than his .329 mark; Kentrail Davis singled twice and walked; Michael Marseco walked three times and Cutter Dykstra twice, yet the Rattlers only scored twice as they stranded ten... Wisconsin Game Log

Appleton Post-Crescent: Timber Rattlers starter Kyle Heckathorn suffered his second loss in three appearances. Heckathorn hit two batters, walked three and struck out five over seven innings — his longest stint since June 6. He lasted just 1.2 innings for a no-decision in his last outing against Burlington on July 12. After the game, the 22-year-old was told in manager Jeff Isom's office that he has been promoted to high Class A Brevard County. Heckathorn will be leaving Appleton at 6:30 AM Monday en route for Viera, Fla. "I'm excited," said the 6-foot-6, 223-pound righty, who leaves the Timber Rattlers with a 6-6 record and a 2.96 ERA. "I've got a lot of family down in Florida, so I'm excited about that."

Final: Helena 8, Orem (Angels) 1 Burgos, bats lead Helena past Orem By Brett Billings, Helena Brewers If you were in attendance Sunday afternoon to watch the Helena Brewers take on the Orem Owlz, you were in for a treat. On a day when the Helena Brewers' bats exploded for eight runs on fourteen hits, Hiram Burgos stole the spotlight, pitching eight innings and only allowing one run. The lone run came in the eighth inning after back-to-back two-out doubles. Burgos (3-0, 2.37) struck out eight Orem (13-14) batters and only walked only one, which also came in the eighth. This performance came six days after he pitched seven shutout innings at Billings. Burgos leads the Pioneer League in strikeouts (48) and is third in ERA (2.37). Helena (14-13) got on the board in the first inning and never looked back. Shea Vucinich doubled with one out to left field, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout from Cody Hawn, who leads the Pioneer League with 27 RBI. Greg Hopkins didn't need any assistance to score. Hopkins, a 24th round pick out of St. Johns University, belted a two-out home run over the left field fence to plate the second run of the game. Helena added three more in the third, one in the fourth, and two in the eighth to go on to win 8-1. Several Brewers had eye-opening stats at the plate today. Franklin Romero Jr. was 4-5 with a double and an RBI. Vucinich was 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Hopkins finished 2-5 with a home run, a double, and two RBI. John Dishon was 3-4. He also swiped his ninth base of the year, which is good for second in the league. Eric Marzec closed the game for Helena, pitching a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out two and walked one. The Brewers look to earn a series win tomorrow night for game three of the four game series. LHP Josh Blanco (0-3, 8.27) is scheduled to start for Orem. The Brewers will send LHP Evan Frederickson (2-0, 4.70) to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 (8:05 Central). *** Link while active, text follows: Burgos bids adieu to Helena in style By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record Helena Brewers pitcher Hiram Burgos made his sixth start for the Pioneer League team a memorable one. Burgos bid Helena goodbye with a gem Sunday at Kindrick Field, after finding out before the game that he had been promoted to Class A Wisconsin. With his parents in the stands all the way from Puerto Rico, the right-hander tossed four-hit ball over eight solid innings to help the Brewers defeat the Orem Owlz 8-1, handing Orem its fourth straight loss. “We played an all-around good baseball game today, to have the pitching performance we did out of Burgos, and then to play errorless baseball ... and to come up big with the bats today was huge,” said Helena manager Joe Ayrault, who was ejected in the second inning for arguing a pickoff play at first. Burgos, the league leader in strikeouts with 48, fanned eight batters in the contest, at one point sat down 13 in a row and ran his shutout-inning streak to 14 before Orem catcher Andrew Oldfield came home on Andrew Heid’s RBI double in the eighth for the Owlz’ lone run of the game. Now, the pitcher is back where he began the season, hoping to earn a spot in the Timber Rattlers’ starting rotation. Burgos was with Wisconsin in April, hurling 20 innings out of the bullpen. “They sent me down here to build me up,” said Burgos, who was 3-0 in Helena with a 2.37 ERA. “Right now I feel very strong with the five-day rotation. I like to be a starter...This game shows how you can come back if (you) keep working hard.” Pitching coach Elvin Nina was not only impressed with Burgos’ pitching, particularly his changeup, but also with his attitude. “Getting sent down is something most players don’t love, and I think he has been very professional,” Nina said. “He could have come here and pouted the entire time, but he showed a lot of maturity by working everyday and trying to get better. “He’s still the same pitcher (he was last year), he’s just not in his way anymore. He’s not trying to analyze every pitch, and he’s trusting his stuff a little more.” A day after they put up just three hits, the Brewers’ bats were hot in lighting up the Owlz with 14, including five for extra bases. Franklin Romero Jr. led Helena at the plate with a 4 for 5 performance that included a double and an RBI. Greg Hopkins had his best outing offensively since returning from a concussion, with a solo home run, an RBI double and two runs scored. It was another rough game for the Owlz, whose pitcher-catcher relationship never seemed to be on the same page. Carmine Giardina threw five wild pitches, and Oldfield struggled with balls in the dirt all day. The Orem offense had just one hit through the first six innings, largely because of Burgos. The 22-year-old said he felt confident and comfortable on the mound, which may have had something to do with the uniform. Burgos, who had performed better on the road than at home this season, asked Ayrault if the Brewers could don their road jerseys, and the team did indeed sport their blues. “I feel comfortable in that jersey, so I said I want to pitch with that jersey,” he said. “Maybe it was my lucky charm.” DIAMOND NOTES: Brewers’ injured outfielder Reggie Keen flew out of the Capital City Sunday. Keen, who broke his hand after being hit by a pitch and is wearing a hard cast, will be in Arizona for awhile and might spend some time at home in Danville, Va., while recovering ... Brewers manager Ayrault coached Orem catcher Hampton Tignor when Tignor was playing travel ball in Sarasota, Fla. ... 526 fans turned out for the Brewers’ first-ever true day game. Helena Box Score Helena Game Log

Agreed, and the Brewers do as well. The RHP who shined as the Puerto Rico Winter Ball Rookie of the Year is on his way back to Wisconsin.

Audio -- Brendan Katin Two-Run Double

I'm guilty of jabbing a dig or two his way, but 35-year-old RHP Marty McLeary has contributed in the Sounds' tight playoff race, and he's the subject of a two-part interview with Stu.

Sorry folks, but for the first time in 2010 and a long time prior to that as well, we're going to be delayed with all your usual updates until mid-to-late Monday morning. Click all the relevant links above and we'll fill in all the blanks a bit later. Thanks for understanding. -- Jim

Nashville Media Notes: HAWKINS TO CONTINUE REHAB ASSIGNMENT WITH SOUNDS: Milwaukee Brewers reliever LaTroy Hawkins is slated to continue his rehabilitation assignment with the Sounds after making two starts with the rookie-level Arizona League Brewers in the past three days (0-0, 2.45 ERA, 1ER / 3.2 IP). The 37-year-old veteran has been on the Brewers’ disabled list since May 7th due to weakness in his right shoulder. Hawkins previously pitched in Music City as a member of the Nashville Xpress (AA-Twins) in 1994.

Nieto's gem propels Palm Beach to victory Palm Beach Cardinals Site Jupiter, FL- The Palm Beach Cardinals (52-40) shut out the Brevard County Manatees (40-52) Sunday at Roger Dean Stadium by a score of 2-0. Alex Castellanos' sacrifice fly in the first inning off of Darren Byrd (0-1) proved to be the deciding run in the game. Shortstop Ted Obregon added an insurance run in the fifth inning with a two-out RBI single. Arquimedes Nieto (8-5) threw a gem en route to his eighth win of the season. Nieto threw 8 2/3 scoreless innings and tied his season-high in strikeouts with seven. The right-hander was pulled after he allowed a double and a walk in consecutive at bats with two outs in the ninth. David Carpenter got Erik Komatsu to line out to center field for the final out of the game to record his 11th save. Nieto improved his record to 2-1 for the month of July and has yet to allow an earned run during this period over his three starts (18 2/3 innings). The right-hander is three wins away from tying the single-season record in wins by a Palm Beach Cardinal set by Adam Ottavino in 2007. The two teams will meet up Monday in game two of this four-game series at Roger Dean Stadium. Richard Castillo is the probable Cardinal starter and will look to make it two in a row for Palm Beach. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

Check these links just prior to the respective games for media releases -- Nashville Media Notes Rattler Radio

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Iowa 51 42 .548 - - 27-24 24-18 7-3 W2 Nashville 50 43 .538 1.0 51 25-19 25-24 5-5 W2 Omaha 49 43 .533 1.5 51 23-22 26-21 6-4 L2 Memphis 50 44 .532 1.5 50 26-19 24-25 4-6 W1 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Huntsville 13 10 .565 - - 6-4 7-6 8-2 W1 Carolina 12 11 .522 1.0 47 5-5 7-6 6-4 W1 * Tennessee 12 11 .522 1.0 47 8-5 4-6 4-6 L1 Chattanooga 10 13 .435 3.0 45 7-6 3-7 1-9 L6 West Tenn 7 16 .304 6.0 42 4-6 3-10 2-8 L3 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tampa 13 7 .650 - - 5-3 8-4 5-5 L1 Brevard County 13 9 .591 1.0 49 10-5 3-4 8-2 W3 Daytona 12 10 .545 2.0 48 8-4 4-6 4-6 L2 Clearwater 10 13 .435 4.5 45 7-2 3-11 4-6 W1 * Dunedin 9 13 .409 5.0 45 5-4 4-9 3-7 L1 Lakeland 7 14 .333 6.5 44 5-7 2-7 5-5 W1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 13 7 .650 - - 7-4 6-3 7-3 W2 Kane County 14 8 .636 - - 10-3 4-5 8-2 W5 Clinton 12 9 .571 1.5 48 8-5 4-4 5-5 W2 Burlington 11 10 .524 2.5 47 10-3 1-7 5-5 W2 * Cedar Rapids 11 10 .524 2.5 47 7-5 4-5 5-5 L3 Wisconsin 10 12 .455 4.0 45 8-5 2-7 5-5 L3 Peoria 8 12 .400 5.0 45 6-6 2-6 5-5 W4 Beloit 8 13 .381 5.5 43 6-7 2-6 3-7 L2 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Great Falls 15 11 .577 - - 6-6 9-5 6-4 W2 Billings 13 13 .500 2.0 11 7-5 6-8 7-3 L1 Helena 13 13 .500 2.0 11 8-6 5-7 2-8 W1 Missoula 10 16 .385 5.0 8 7-7 3-9 4-6 L1 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Brewers 16 6 .727 - - 4-3 2-2 6-3 W1 AZL Dodgers 11 11 .500 5.0 30 2-3 3-2 5-5 W1 AZL Indians 11 11 .500 5.0 30 3-2 5-1 8-1 W3 AZL Reds 9 13 .409 7.0 28 1-3 3-3 3-6 W2 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Cardinals 23 17 .575 - - 18-3 5-14 6-4 L2 DSL Mariners 23 17 .575 - - 14-6 9-11 8-2 W4 DSL Brewers 17 22 .436 5.5 28 11-7 6-15 4-6 L4 DSL Athletics 17 24 .415 6.5 26 10-11 7-13 3-7 W2

Follow Sunday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Tab or New Window". Choose "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Arizona Rookie (Maryvale) DSL All-Star Game

Sunday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at home vs. Omaha (Royals), 6:20 PM pre-game; 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Amaury Rivas at home vs. West Tenn (Mariners), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: TBD (perhaps RHP Darren Byrd) at Palm Beach (Cardinals), 4:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link (Select Palm Beach Cardinals for the opponents' feed) Wisconsin: RHP Kyle Heckathorn at home vs. Great Lakes (Dodgers), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime Live Audio Link Helena: RHP Hiram Burgos at home vs. Orem (Angels), 1:50 PM pre-game; 2:05 gametime Live Audio Link Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at the Royals' complex in Surprise; 9:00 PM; never audio for games in this league DSL Brewers: Idle for the All-Star Game -- today, NL vs. AL -- we probably won't know until Sunday night which Brewers represented

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Rattlers profile: Chris Dennis Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent Chris Dennis file - Age: 21. - Position: First base/DH. - Height/weight: 6-1, 205. - Bats/throws: Left/right. - Hometown: Windsor, Ontario. - Notes: Selected by the Brewers in the 13th round (No. 401 overall) of the 2007 June Draft. ...Graduated from St. Thomas of Villanova SS (Canada) High School. … Spent all of 2008 in rookie league with the Helena Brewers, where he hit .253 in 63 games, with seven doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 40 RBI, six stolen bases and 40 runs scored. Favorites - MLB team growing up: "Always raised a Tigers fan." - MLB player growing up: "I was a catcher growing up and always idolized Ivan Rodriguez." - Current MLB player: "Derek Jeter. Now that I've grown up and seen the way players carry themselves, Jeter is of the guys you look up to and you want to say definitely you want to be him. You want to idolize him and imitate what he does." - Current Brewer: "Ryan Braun. Being a hitter, his swing is just a beautiful swing and the things he does, I kind of look up to. He does it from the right side but I try to do it from the left side as best I can." - Sport other than baseball: "Football. I was always a football player growing up. I played hockey too, but was more of a football player." - Food: "It would have to be a brat. Ever since I came to Wisconsin, I can't get enough of them, I'm not going to lie." - Thing about Appleton: "Definitely the people. They're very nice and they help you out with whatever you need. That's probably what I like best about it." - Thing about the Vancouver Olympics: "It would have had to been Team Canada (hockey, which won the gold medal). I was following them all the way and I had a couple of friends on the team." Q&A Q: You played in only 38 games last season because of an ankle injury. You tried to come back too soon and re-injured it. What was more difficult, the mental or physical strain? A: "Definitely coming back too soon and re-injuring it. That kind of hurt me a little bit. It worked out both ways. I got through it. I got stronger from that, so it kind of helps out this year. You learn you just can't rush injuries. They heal over time and you come back when you're ready. You don't want to rush things because you could end up messing yourself up further." Q: What's your most prized sports possession? A: "I have a couple of balls signed by (Tony) Kubek and Brooks Robinson." Q: What was the hardest part when Hunter Morris came in and you were moved from first base to DH? A: "Baseball is a team game. I get along with Hunter very well. We learn from each other. It's a business. All I can do is get better and prove myself every day through practice. And when I get my chance to play and, as long as my bat is in the lineup, I feel I still have something to contribute to the team and I'll do whatever they say to go out and do." Q: How do the people from Windsor view their neighbors from across the river in Detroit? A: "We get along pretty good. Not that many fights. They're one of us and we're one of them." Q: What's the toughest thing about minor-league baseball? A: "Bus rides. Got to be the bus rides and the everyday grind. Every day going on a bus and having to play the next day is definitely tough. I just listen to my iPod. Those are lifesavers." Q: You were originally drafted by Tampa Bay but decided to wait a year and were subsequently drafted by the Brewers. How important was it to wait a year? A: "It was good because I didn't feel I was mature enough to stand the strains of the minor leagues. Going back to school, I think I gained the maturity that was needed to come out here and perform everyday and deal with it." Q: Any significance to No. 32? A: "No. Just growing up I was always No. 32." Q: Weirdest thing you've ever seen on a baseball field? A: "Probably the rain we got (Wednesday). It was a river out here on the field. That's probably the most interesting thing I've seen. I've never seen anything like that." Q: LeBron James essentially picked two teammates to play with. If you had your choice, which two players would you choose to be on your team? A: "Probably it would be Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols. The way they carry themselves, both those guys, is just unbelievable." The Tool Box Rattlers hitting instructor Matt Erickson breaks down Chris Dennis: - His bat: "He's got a lot of juice. He's a strong kid. At one point last year, it became kind of an all-or-nothing kind of thing. He was going to hurt you if the pitcher made a mistake. He was going to hit it hard somewhere for an extra-base hit. But if the pitchers were making quality pitches, he was a pretty easy out. "So what we've tried to do this year is basically lengthen his swing in the strike zone and try to get him to be more selective with the pitches he can handle and the pitches that he can't handle. And try and get him to a better thought process. And, he also has the ability to drive the ball to the left-center field gap. And I think when he stays in the middle of the field — and I think he now has an understanding of that — he's a much better hitter. When he starts trying to leave the yard, pull side, is when he falls off to the wayside pretty good. He may run into one every once in a while, but he becomes a pretty easy out if he's doing that." - His glove: "As a fielder, he's been a pleasant surprise at first base. Last year, we had him in the outfield and had some outfield issues there. Doesn't have great arm strength. But his footwork and his glove have shown up pretty good at first base. And I think that's created a little more value to him. He's definitely capable of playing first base. He's proven that with us. He has to continue to do the footwork with the throwing stuff. It's not real easy for him or natural to him at this time. But that has gotten better over the course of the year." - His base running: "As a base runner he's fairly solid. He has some surprising speed. He's not strictly a base-to-base guy. He's capable of taking the extra base and that's another thing we've tried to encourage with him. Along with his mental approach offensively with the bat, we try to get him thinking before the pitch on the bases so he can go first to third; so he can take an extra base on a dirt ball read. That's something we try to instill in everybody but he's done a pretty nice job of that." Chris Dennis continues to make strides at the plate for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. (Post-Crescent photo by Wm. Glasheen) http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20100718&Category=APC021102&ArtNo=7180554&Ref=AR&Profile=1019&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

Link while active, text follows: Strong pitching, defense spark Brewers over Orem By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record Helena Brewers manager Joe Ayrault likes to remind his ballclub that pitching and defense win games. After Saturday night’s 2-1 Pioneer League win over the Orem Owlz, the Brewers are big believers. Typically a team that prides itself on offense, Helena managed just three hits in the contest at Kindrick Field. But the Brewers were able to take advantage of several mistakes by Orem, and got a couple of key defensive stops to hold off a late Owlz’ rally. The home team’s solid baserunning didn’t hurt either. “Rovers, everyone who has come in that clubhouse has stressed pitching and defense,” Ayrault said. “To combine it with the smart baserunning we had tonight, we took advantage.” Neither of Helena’s runs came off of hits. The Brewers got the first in the first inning when Franklin Romero Jr. got on base after being hit by a pitch, stole second, then came home on a Cody Hawn groundout. The second run scored in the third inning, after Shea Vucinich reached on a two-base throwing error by Orem shortstop Ryan Broussard, then came home on back-to-back wild pitches by Owlz starter Pil Joon Jang. Helena (13-13) had an opportunity for an insurance run in the seventh. Following Mike Walker’s base hit, Walker made it all the way to third on a passed ball in the dirt by Orem’s Kevin Johnson that went way past Owlz catcher Kevin Arendse, who was making his professional debut. Johnson retired the next three Brewers’ batters to prevent any further damage and strand Walker 90 feet from home. “If it weren’t for our baserunning tonight we probably would have had no runs on the board,” Ayrault said. Saturday marked the first time Helena had won in seven games, and just the second time the Brewers had beaten defending Pioneer League champion Orem in 15 tries, dating all the way back to the 2008 campaign when the Owlz owned the 7-0 series edge. Orem (13-13) had several opportunities to put a win in the books in this one. After Helena reliever Rob Currie walked Michael Sodders and hit Arendse with a pitch, Sodders tried to come home on a hit by Andrew Heid. Romero fielded the hard-hit shot in center field, then threw a bullet to catcher Brent Dean who made the tag at the plate to prevent the tying run. Orem came knocking again in the final frame, as Wes Hatton and Broussard each singled off closer Brian Garman. But Dean stopped a ball in the dirt and fired a throw to the corner of the second base bag to Carlos George to prevent another runner from getting into scoring position. “That was just one of those things, our pitching and defense put us in a good situation,” said Dean, who had his eight-game hitting streak snapped. “Baserunning was good tonight, we got real good pitching. I had a lot of adrenaline (on that play), I was pretty excited just to help the team out.” Helena starter Tyler Cravy, who had struggled with his control in previous appearances, had his best outing of the season. Cravy allowed just three hits and one run in six innings while striking out six for his third win. “I was more confident with my offspeed pitches, I wasn’t afraid to throw them when my defense was playing good behind me,” the right-hander said. “My curveball worked real good for the first time in awhile, I felt I could throw it in any count.” Jang, the Korean who signed with the Los Angeles Angels for more than half a million dollars, was tagged with his first loss of the year despite giving up just one hit and one earned run in five innings of work. Helena Box Score Tidy in two hours, 18 minutes... Helena Game Log

Final: Helena 2, Orem (Angels) 1 Brewers end skid By Brett Billings, Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers took game one of a four game series and ended a six-game losing streak as they defeated the Orem Owlz on Saturday night at Kindrick Field. It wasn't an exciting game if you were looking for a lot of runs, but the Brewers will take it as they continue to battle for first place in the Pioneer League North. Helena scored a run in the first inning to take an early lead. Franklin Romero Jr. was hit by pitch. He then stole second and advanced to third after a Shea Vucinich groundout. Cody Hawn, who has recently been given the nickname "The Cheetah" for his play at first base, scored Romero Jr. with a ground out to second base. The Owlz tied the game in the third inning. Ryan Broussard began the inning with a seeing eye single between short and third off Brewer pitcher Tyler Cravy. He advanced to second on a groundout, and scored on a groundball single between second base and first. Cravy started on the mound for the Brewers looking to put his last performance behind him. He did not disappoint. The 21-year old righty threw six innings, only giving up a run on three hits. He struck out six and walked two. Helena's other run was a much-appreciated gift. Vucinich reached on a two out throwing error by Orem's shortstop, Ryan Broussard, and advanced to second. Two wild pitches later, Vucinich scored and the Brewers had a 2-1 lead which they would hold for the remainder of the game. Robert Currie, Tony Butler, and Brian Garman combined to close the game for Helena. Currie and Butler pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth. Garman pitched the ninth to earn the save. The Brewers face the Owlz again Sunday for game two of the four-game series. RHP Hiram Burgos (2-0, 2.70) is scheduled to take the hill for the Brewers. The Owlz plan to start LHP Carmine Giardina (0-1, 5.17). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 (2:05 Central).

Final: Great Lakes (Dodgers) 6, Wisconsin 5 Wisconsin can't hang on against Loons By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - On Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Field, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers went toe-to-toe with the team with the best record in baseball. But, the Great Lakes Loons scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat Wisconsin 6-5 and run their season record to 61-30. J.T. Wise delivered an RBI double to send the go-ahead run home for the Loons. The teams traded runs in the third inning. Jaime Ortiz tripled in a run for the Loons in the top of the inning. Kyle Dhanani singled in the tying run with two outs for the Rattlers in the bottom of the third. Wisconsin's starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi entered Saturday's game with one home run allowed in nearly eighty innings pitched. In the top of the fourth, the Loons got to him for three solo homers. Gorman Erickson started the inning with his second home run of the season. Later in the frame, Angela Songco and Blake Smith hit back-to-back home runs with two out to put Great Lakes up 4-1. Scooter Gennett and Kentrail Davis started the Rattlers (36-54 overall, 10-12 second half) on the comeback trail in the bottom of the third. Gennett doubled to start the Rattlers' half of the inning. Davis followed with an RBI double. Cutter Dykstra drew a one out walk to put the tying run on base. Chris Dennis went one better than tying the game. Dennis launched a three-run homer to right-center and Wisconsin was in front 5-4. Odorizzi settled in after the third inning and retired 10 of the final 12 batters he faced without allowing a hit. Adrian Rosario came out of the bullpen to record a three-up, three-down top of the seventh. Then, the Rattlers turned to closer Jon Pokorny in the eighth inning to go for a two inning save. Pokorny retired the Loons (61-30, 18-4) in order in the top of the eighth, but ran into trouble in the top of the ninth. Brian Cavazos-Galvez started the inning with a single, was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and stole third. Ortiz singled him home to tie the game 5-5. A wild pitch moved pinch runner Stetson Banks to second base and one out later, Wise doubled in Banks to give the Loons the lead. Great Lakes closer Luis Vasquez struck out the first two batters of the bottom of the ninth. Then, D'Vontrey Richardson drew a walk and Gennett singled. But Davis grounded out to short for the final out of the game and the Rattlers fell 6-5. The Wisconsin bullpen has now been charged with 15 blown saves this season. Also, the Rattlers record in games decided by a single run fell to 5-24 after Saturday's game. Game two of the series is Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. Kyle Heckathorn (6-5, 2.65) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Great Lakes will send Josh Wall (6-4, 3.56) to the hill. If you can't make it to the game, tune in for the radio broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 12:45 PM. Game time is 1:05 PM. Wisconsin Box Score Well, we know what the main storyline on the Rattler season recap will be, don't we? Close, but no cigar. Closer Jon Pokorny still has the peripherals, but that second inning of work was a killer; Jake Odorizzi had only given up six home runs in his career (over 150 innings) before surrendering three in one inning here; battlekow points out that Chris Dennis sees his first action in the outfield (left field) all season... Wisconsin Game Log

Huntsville Interview with manager Mike Guerrero after Saturday's 13-6 win

Final: Huntsville 13, West Tenn (Mariners) 6 Stars use a huge sixth inning to smash the Diamond Jaxx By Aaron Morse, Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars (13-10, 46-47) scored seven runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 13-6 victory over the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (7-16, 46-46) Saturday night. The top of the order got things going in the first as Brett Lawrie and Caleb Gindl tallied back-to-back singles against Diamond Jaxx starter Blake Beavan. A Zelous Wheeler fly ball to deep center moved them up 90 feet. After Drew Anderson was hit by a pitch, Chris Nowak picked up an RBI when he grounded in to a fielder’s choice (audio). With runners at the corners and two away, Taylor Green came up large with a two-run double to deep left (audio). The second inning started just like the first, as the Stars picked up back-to-back singles. This time it was Dayton Buller with a grounder up the gut and Lee Haydel laying down a beauty of a bunt to reach base. A Lawrie groundout moved both runners up a base and Gindl smacked a sacrifice fly to score Buller and advance Haydel to third (audio). Haydel would score on a wild pitch and the Stars had a 5-0 lead (audio). But West Tennessee being the power-hitting team they are, came back forcefully as Carlos Triunfel drilled a two-run homer off Chris Cody in the third (audio). In the fourth they continued to chip away as Alex Liddi led-off with a double to left. One out later fellow MLB Futures Game participant Carlos Peguero doubled down the right field line, plating Liddi and cutting the Stars’ lead to two (audio). Beavan went four innings for West Tenn., giving up five runs on six hits. He struck-out three while walking one. Huntsville had a golden opportunity in the fifth, loading the bases against former Star (2006 and 2008) Steve Bray with no outs. Chris Nowak hit a fly ball to left that Joe Dunigan caught and gunned to the plate to nail Gindl for the double play. Bray got Green to ground out and the Stars came away empty handed. Meanwhile Cody was excellent, going 5.2 innings and striking out a season-high nine while walking only one. He gave up three runs, all earned on five hits. Huntsville got all the insurance they needed and then some in the sixth. With one out, Buller tripled off the glove of a hustling Dunigan, and Haydel followed with a chopper through the right side to make the score 6-3 in favor of the Stars (audio). Lawrie flew to right for the second out of the frame. Then, the wheels came off for Bray and the Diamond Jaxx. Gindl singled to left, advancing Haydel to second. Wheeler followed with an RBI single, and advanced to second when the throw came in to third in an attempt to get Gindl, which failed as the ball got away from Liddi (audio). With runners at the corners and two away, West Tenn. decided to intentionally walk Drew Anderson. That didn’t work out so well as Nowak continued his hot hitting with the Stars, drilling a double to left, clearing the bases and making the score 10-3 (audio). But they weren’t done as Green followed that with a two-run bomb, extending the advantage to 12-3 (audio). The Diamond Jaxx got one back against Nick Green in the eighth, but Anderson went yard to make the score 13-4 in the bottom of the frame (audio). Reliever Mark Willinsky gave up a couple of runs in the ninth, but West Tenn. really didn’t have a chance as he finished the 13-6 victory off with Matthew Lawson groundout (audio). Everyone in the Stars’ lineup tallied a hit and every player with the exception of Chuck Caufield scored a run. Nowak and Green drove in four runs each while Haydel and Gindl tallied three hits apiece. Cody (5-7) earned the victory while Beavan (0-1) suffered the loss. With the victory, the Stars once again take sole possession of first place in the Southern League North. Amaury Rivas (8-5, 2.66 ERA) takes the mound Sunday afternoon against Mauricio Robles (6-5, 4.31 ERA) as it’s a battle of Southern League Mid-Season All-Stars. You can hear the action only on www.huntsvillestars.com beginning at 12:45 PM central time with the Window World Pre-Game Report. Huntsville Box Score Soft-tossing Chris Cody has only 52 K's in 72.1 innings, but he fooled the Mariners' AA bats here for nine punchouts, as noted; Drew Anderson reached base four times; Caleb Gindl and Lee Haydel seem to be sharing CF duties as of late -- it will be of long-term benefit to Caleb to get some reps there; Taylor Green has his SLG % up to .432, 27 of 65 hits for extra bases... Huntsville Game Log Seven is one of the prettiest crooked numbers -- Huntsville Bottom 6th Chuck Caufield pops out to third baseman Alex Liddi in foul territory. Dayton Buller triples (3) on a fly ball to center fielder Leury Bonilla, deflected by left fielder Joseph Dunigan. Lee Haydel singles on a line drive to right fielder Scott Savastano. Dayton Buller scores. Brett Lawrie flies out to right fielder Scott Savastano. Caleb Gindl singles on a line drive to left fielder Joseph Dunigan. Lee Haydel to 2nd. Zelous Wheeler singles on a line drive to left fielder Joseph Dunigan. Lee Haydel scores. Zelous Wheeler to 2nd on the throw. Caleb Gindl advances to 3rd, on missed catch error by third baseman Alex Liddi, assist to left fielder Joseph Dunigan. Steve Bray intentionally walks Drew T. Anderson. Chris Nowak doubles (10) on a fly ball to left fielder Joseph Dunigan. Caleb Gindl scores. Zelous Wheeler scores. Drew T. Anderson scores. Taylor Green homers (6) on a fly ball to right center field. Chris Nowak scores. Chuck Caufield singles on a line drive to left fielder Joseph Dunigan. Pitcher Change: Luis Munoz replaces Steve Bray. Dayton Buller pops out to first baseman Johan Limonta.

July 17 - Chat with Sounds Catcher Martin Maldonado

Audio for that play is available via the link here.